Firing boilers by means of fuel oils



May 1 W. W. DUNE-NAM FIRING BOILERS BY MEANS OF FUEL 01M Filed July 19220 W My 0 M e M M M ATTORNEYS WITNESSES Patented May 1, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. DUNHAM, OF COPPERAS COVE, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR T NEIBULIZER- OIL BURNING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 013 DELAWARE.

FIRING BOILERS BY MEANS OF FUEL OILS.

Application filed July 16, 1920. Serial No. 396,700.

To all whom it may concern.

tie it known that I, VVILLIAM P. :DUNHAM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Copperas Cove, Coryell County, Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Firing Boilers by Means of Fuel Oils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of using fuel oil or crude oil for firing boilers and particularly boilers making steam. The invention has for its object the conservation of the quantity or amount of such fuel oil consumed in such use and to secure improved results in the manipulation and treatment of the fuel oil, as will appear more at large in the specification.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of one form of apparatus adapted for carrying out my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through tanlr 2 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a detail of the nozzle at which the oil is atomized and in thatform injected into the lire box of the boiler.

It will be understood that the drawings are illustrative only and that my invention may be embodied in a variety of other liormsoi': apparatus. For the purpose of description, however, the particular form of apparatus is excellently suited for a comprehension of the invention. It is, of course, to be understood as associated with some appliance which consumes steam, either directly or as power, and a field in which the invention is of particular advantage is the drilling of oil wells, but obviously the invention is capable of applica tion in many arts on land and sea, including railway, locomotive and steam vessels.

eferring to the drawings, 6 indicates a boiler oil? standard construction having the usual fire box 7. The steam generated by this boiler leads, let us say, to the engine which operates the drill of an oil well. According to standard practice such a boiler, when fuel oil is employed to generate the r mired heat, is usually started by building a fire by hand beneath the boiler. Crude oil is poured upon this fire until sufiicient heat is developed and the proper amount of steam is registered in the gauge. This generally requires about an hour and a half in time for 110 pounds of steam and consumes about a barrel and a half of fuel oil. In an industry like that involved in drilling oil wells, this process is repeated about once a week and is obviously wastel'ul and inefficient. According to the stand ard practice when sufiicient steam has been developed. in the boiler, a branch steam line passes a portion of the steam to a nozzle in front of the fire box 7 of the boiler 6. Fuel oil is passed to this nozzle and the steam thereupon breaks up the oil at the point oi? discharge from the nozzle and sprays the oil mist thus created against a splasher and the atomized oil is then ignited and Sill plies the further heat required by the boiler. Various special nozzles or jets, atented and unpatented, are in use and the construction of the jet is regarded as one of the most important features for delivering the steam sprayed oil. In giving my attention to the problem of evising a proper means of economically handling iiuel oil for conversion into heat, I have concluded that the use of steam created in the boiler is extremely wasteful and extravagant. Some of the reasons for this conclusion are that a very large percentage of the fuel oil which is used must of necessity go to the making of the steam which is required to atomize it and to deliver it against the splasher and all the steam thus used, it conserved for the purposes for which the steam is really created, would constitute a great saving it it were diverted from the boiler directly to the place of its chief need. The steam itself, furthermore, being wet, serves to dampen the atomized oil and thus prevents the efiiciency which would be possible were the mist or sprayed oil when delivered against the splasher unaccompanied by the moisture carried in the steam. The use of steam also results in a certain intermittence of discharge, there being intervals of" combus tion and absence of combustion caused by the periodic accumulation of steam over the percentage of oil which is discharged until sufiieient oil has again accumulated to be discharged. A general uncleanliness and waste of oil in the immediate vicinity of the boiler is also occasioned by the process generally in use as thus far described by me.

Having then concluded that one of the chief factors in this unsatisit'actory condi tion is due to the use of steam as one element of the atomizing means, I determined to replace the steam used for atomizing by a relatively dry medium or gas such as air, preferably hot, and to use this medium not only for atomizing purposes but also in connection with and as a feeding element for the oil itself. In carryingout the invention I made use of the appartus which is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings and which comprises, as stated, the usual boiler 6 with its lire box 7. A storage of the oil which the operations consume is con tained in the oil tank 8 from which. through a suitably valved connection 9 the oil enters the oil pump This oil pump 4 is driven bya-small stationary gas engine 5 which uses aboutten gallons of gas intwenty-four hours and runs continuously. The same gas engine 5 also operates the air pump 3. The oil is forced by the oil pump t to pass through pipe 10 and into the bottom of the oil supply tank Quntil said tank is approximately half full, at whic'hlevel the supply of oil in the tank 2 .is automatically maintained by the means to be hereinafter described. Through a further connection 11, also provided at appropriate points with valves, the oil is withdrawn from the bottom of the tank 2and fed to the jet. or nozzle 12. Themeans by which the oil is thus fed from the tank to the nozzle 12,,as well as the means which serve toatoinize the oil at the mouthof the jet 12, consists of the air which is supplied bythe air pump 3. The compressed airis preliminarily conveyed into the air tank 1. A line 13, provided with a gauge 14, a pressure valve 15 and a manually controlled valve 16, leads the air into the coils 17above and closely adjacent to the boiler itself. These coils 17 are shown as extending longitudinally of the boiler but obviously may extend transversely thereof and they maybe lpcated at any appropriate position within the region of heat radiation from the boiler. The object of these coils 17 is to impart to the compressed air a part of the radiated heat from the boiler, which would otherwise be wasted. The heater air fro1n, -the coils 17 passes through connection 18 into the upper part of the oil supply tank 2, the connection 18 being valved at As shown in Fig.2, the connection 18 extends into the tank 2 to a point closely above the level of the oil contained therein andas the air is approximately under 100 pounds pressure, thestream of air discharging through pipe 18 into the oil in the oil supplv tank 2 (l ig. a ritates or whips up said oiland, forms what might roughly be described as an aerated oil. The oil supply tank 2 is. of course, as a whole under air pressure which fills the entire upper half of said tank. The air pressure in this tank :2 cnusesthe oil to be forced outof the tank through pipe 11, which preferably extends into the oil in an inclined direction and may be provided with a suitably apertured or perforated cap 20 so as to provide for the free and unobstructed intake of oil (or mixed oil and air). The flow of oil or mixed oil and air through the pipe 11 is continuous and renewed supplies of oil are fed continuously to the bottom of the oil supply tank 2 through the pipe 10 so long as the volume of oil in tank 2 does not riseabove a predetermined level, say when the tankis half full. If the supply of inconiin oil tends to introduce into tank 2 more oi than will satisfy this predetermined level, it willelevate the float 21 and thereby through connections 22 move the gate valve 23 into its open position. The opening of this gate valve 2% to its completely open position prevents the oil pump 4 from forcing theoil past the check valve 25 and when the gate valve 523 is entirely open, the by-pass;conncction 24 will permit the oil ,pump .4 to continue to function uninterru tedly, the oil then merely circulating t rough .the pump without any of it entering ipelO through the check valve 25. AS the gate 23 closes as the result of a loweringoflhe level of the oil in tank 2 and the consequent descent of the floatQl, the oil will be forced tl'llOttJll the check valve 25 and will. into the connection 10 and by these means the level of the oil in tank 2 is automatically maintained. The check valve 25 prevents any back pressure against the oil ,pum due to excessive air pressure in the tank 2 sliould that condition arise.

At a point intermediate between the.h0t air coils 17 and the point where the hotJiir is admitted into the oil tank.2, a branch line or blow pipe 26 provided with a valve27 leadsto the jet 12 and by this .means hot air permitted to meet the oil from the tank 2 at the nozzle. of the jet 12, to which point the oil has been forced by another part ofthe hot air from the coils 17.

The air tank and oil taukare provided with suitable drain pipes and valves 28, 1-9 respectively.

meter 30 records the amount of oil which leaves the oiltank 2.21mi is consumed at the .jet 12. This meter is loeatedlbetween valves 31 and 32, thus enabling the meter to be examined or replared and .a plain pipr connection made in the meantime without interrupting the operations of the pleases 12 closed at its rear end except for the all 1n1ss1on oi the o1l pipe ll. and of the air blow pipe 2s. The forward end of the oil pipe 11 is provided at the exterior thereof with a series of closely adjacent spiral grooves 33, which grooves are ifleeper tie forward end than at the rear and preferably at the forward end terminated in l'rontal notches in the oil pipe ll. of suclrgrooves is desirable and as an illustration l have indicated about twelve oi such grooves on a hall inch pipe.

The object oi? those grooves is o impart to the air injected througlji pipe into the chamber 8% a swirling motion at the nozzle of the jet and to break the oil into i1111'l1l11('3l'- able small particles. The :tront end of the casing 12 is prele ably closed by a I interchangeable cap as centrally apertured at 37 and pre'lt'erably having; a doineshaped internal configuration as indicated at to which gives direction to the air supplen'ienting the direction imparted to the air by she grooves 33. The ions surface of this abuts against the :l orward end. oi? the oil pipe 11, the aperture 37 beii snuiller in diameter than the diamante oi the oil pipe 11. The result of this ar angenient is extremely ellicient; the hot air not only when coming in contact with the forward end oil theoil column tends to retard it but d'lilrilg said retarded state to thin and vapor so it but also, by reason of the direction in which the air attacks the oil, aton'iises it most ettfectively. In other words the oil mixed, atomized, vaporized and otherwise brought to a condition where mani -ruin heat elliciency is made possible with a. iii-- ini'lni consinnption of fuel The visible sign that the proper conditions are observed is that the stream coming lron'i the no the has the appearance of a white cloud whiclu wher ignited, burns with a brilliant white :Flaine (as distinguished from yellow) producii'u: practically no smoke whatever: The connection between the oil line ll. and air 3low pipe 26 and the jet 1% is plbl ielttllly com posed otl' pipe fittings, commonly known as street Ls coupled together which enable the jet 12 to be at will moved iforwari'lly or backwardly upwardly or d1 vnivardly, latorally or, in fact, to any desired position or inclination with respect to the lire bolt "2" ol' the boiler. It will be obs rred that by tapping the hot air at point near the boiler 6 the air which reaches the nozzle "lit has a higher temperature than the air which silly has acted upon the oil in the tank 2 at ll. large nits nber at one pr will rapidly heat up so that the air be-- more and were heated through the there is no delay in starting and l and y no time is lost in bringing tie boiler up to normal el'liciency which example, may be stated ill) pounds oil Mil. 'lhe air being dry or, at any rate,

" "11S co pared with steanu will been iilflO i advantage in n53; the proper atomization at he va ves which u may be maintained in and the greatest \I "in; and hi hest elliciency tained. 'llhe process as n w S put into practical to be oil? great benefit 'iple heretofore stated I the illinp; oi. oil wells, the 7 system which is described as d in an early part of the specifivill coi {or a boiler capacity oi? Jnately 1? i oi oil r n aecordii w to my new onsiiirn ition is approximately ibles me to ascertain er:-

" oil that is used per or This economy obviously very in oil o one not counting the l1led QlllClQHUY 3"" 1 anti the duanti ay or per hour.

V in the coiler due to the loot that no part oi: the steam created by it 18 wasted in the atomization of the oil.

The valve 92 in the air line 26 and the valve 81 in the oil line ll makes it possible '2 white the supply if oil and ai. with at inaxinnini oi? ate d thief oil for quick and vigoroas bring i: the l'ioiler may be obtained llV oi oi be reduced to n ainl'ainii lotion enebliu oil to be bro between the i, r-nun an.

oil and air are no the in and may subsequently the minimum point oi barely the under the boiler, the regutl'ie char e atoin' eed :luel ree of intensity .nininiunl limits. under pres ure from is obur V a itvleaves the atomizer nozzle of the burner 'Will never be such as to cause the oil to be ejected as a solid stream, but on the con trary, (so long as the air line is open), the oil column'will be retarded within the nozzle by the action of the air cutting across its forward face at that point, coupled with the fact that the front aperture of the nozzle is constricted, whereby this retarding action of the air on the 011 column is further enforced. In other words, the speed of the oil column as it flows through its channel in the oil burner, retarded as it is by the action of .the air, will not be in excess of the speed of the atomizing air or other agent at the nozzle. I have already pointed out the fact that the hot air in the oil tank 2, as well as at the jet 12, has the effect of thinning the oil, thereby making for the most effective delivery in atomization And this result is of extreme value in severe freezing weather when, under the old method, the oil would hardly if indeed flow at all. The use of hot air also makes: it pos sible to use a-poor grade of heavy crude or fuel oil.

It is to be understood that my invention is capable of application in many modified forms and that the description thereof with respect to the specific-apparatus shown is illustrative merely, and that equivalent apparatus or'met-hods of procedure are intendedto be included within the scope of my claims. i a

What I claim is:

1. In the art of firing boilers, that improvement which consists in maintaining a continuous flow of compressed air, into and throughan atomizer and also upon oil in a storage vessel to force the oil to the atomizer in .a column at a speed which is not greater than the speed of the atomizing air, said oil column being then, within the nozzle of said atomizer, retarded by the stream of pressure air there passing, at its higher speed, across the face of the oil column, said air also, within the confines of the burner, finely dividing the oil and in said condition ejecting the so treated oil particles with the speed of the emerging air.

QM-In the art of firing boilers, that improvement which consists in maintaining a continuous flow of compressed air, dividing said flow into two streams, one ot which leads to an atomizer, heating said stream on On its way thereto, thcother stream leading to an oil storage vessel to force the oil to the atomizer in a column at a speed which is not the oil andheating the same and in said condltion e]ecting the so treated 01] particles with the speed of the emerging air.

o. in the art of firing boilers. that improvcmcnt which consists in maintaining in a nozzle a continuous How of compressed air and a continuous flow of oil under pressure, retarding the stream of oil within the nozzle and then forward of said retarded point but within the confines of the nozzle causing it tobe brokcn up by divided streams of air and in said broken up state to be whirled about and cxposed to heat, all within the confines of the nozzle, whereby the mixture of air and oil in the condition to which these treatments have converted it emerges from the nozzle in the form of a white cloud giving a white flame substantially free from smohc when ignited.

i. In the art of firing boilers, that improvement which consists in maintaining a continuous flow of compressed air into and through an atomizer and also upon oil in a storage vessel to force oil therefrom to the aton'iizer in a column at a speed which. in the atomizer, is not greatcr than the speed of the atomizing air, heating the air on its way to the atomizer, passing streams of heated pressure air across the face of the oil column within the nozzle of said atomizer at a higher speed to retard the column of oil from said vessel, causing said heated air to finely divide the oil within the confines of the burner. and ejecting the so treated oil particles with the speed of the emerging air.

In the art of firing boilers, that improvement which consists in maintaining :1 continuous flow of compressed air into and through an atomizer and also upon oil in a storage vessel to force oil therefrom to the atomizer in a colunm at a speed which, in the atomizer, is not greater than the speed of the atomizing air. heating the air on its way to said oil storage vessel, passing streams of the pressure air across the face of the oil column within the nozzle of said atomizer at a higher speed to retard the column of oil from said vessel, causing said heated air to finely divide the oil within the confines of the burner, and ejectin the so treated oil particles with the spec of the emerging air.

(3. In the art of firing boilers, that improvement which consists in maintaining a continuous flow of compressed air into and through an atomizer and also upon oil in a storage vessel to force oil therefrom to the atomizer in a column at a speed which. in the atomizer. is not greater than the speed of the atomizing air, heating the air on its way to the atomizer. heating the air leading to the oil storage vessel, passing streams of the heated pressure air across the face of the oil column within the nozzle of said atomizer at a higher speed to retard the lit i raid loet lor, latter is Qlc\tl Q(l the time o" Oil pipe system to the Stii'kPlfSlHtihlh column ot' oil from said ressel cauzl heated air to finely divide the oil it confires ot the burn-ion and ejecting the ex treat d oil particles with the speed ot' the en'iergine; air.

7. The conihi'ruition oi" boiler, 11 oper lvely con'ibined therewi h an oil ply. suppien'ien tl oil storage nection from the latter to said inn, 1 means for continuously tort; column therethrough, a continuo pump, a pipe system hetnem the supgil tat oil tank an d said puur 'r in which ineiot oi" oil is continuously u'iaintm the aeti 1 of said pump. a conncctio' 'i tween said pipe xl sup mental tanlc a float in the it control ed h l l tarded or chel ted and" when said sceuds the influx of oil from the tern into said siupplen r ital tent: and means Within the )ntiues oi the tor passing of pressure air across th oi the oil column at a irr ter sp that of the oil coluunn t by said colun'in Whilefinely dividing the on particles retrieved tl'iereiroiu lii ilr're the tool mixture is ejected from ..ruer.

8. The combination oi? e holler, a oil burner operatively connected ti ith, a tank containing a supply oi tuel oil, means for maintaining said supply at a predeteo mined level, a connection from said tanlr. to said burner, an air pipe leading into seid tank and arranged to admit pressure air and to cause said air to physically a the oil While also forcing it from the to the burner, means for introduc m through said pipe a supply of air under pressure to agitate the oil and to force it from the tank in a column through the burner, and means Within the confines of the burner for passing streams oi pressure air across the taco oi? the oil column at greater speed than that of the oil column, the day retarding said column 'WllllG finely dividing the oil particles removed there from before the final niixtiu'e is ejected t'roin the burner.

The, combination of a boiler, a fuel oil inirner operatiyely connectel therewith a tanlr containing; a supply oi. i' uel oil means for rnsintaiuiny; said supply at a predetermined level, a connection from said tanli: to said burner an air pipe dingr intr said tank: and arranged to admit pressure air and to cause said air to physically tgitate the oil While also forcing it from the tanli: to the burner, said arrangement eu'ihracii a downward. extension of said air pipe in said. tank and a termination of said arpipe at a point in said tanh closely adia cent to but slightly above the predetet;-

rota, i

ad oil level thereiin means for introducn through said pipe supply o't air unpressure to a itate tie Oll and to torce from or and war it.

s witiin the couture o 5? it streams oi? pressure air A the oil column at a rreater oi the oil. coluinn, thereby '1 column While finely dividing ion of a "12 J boiler,v a fuel 1v iperzulively connected therewith,

a nix-e oi? fuel oil connected with said burner, d ui. air ducts a source or? com pre" iyoly, ttron'i aid :aeource 0t air to said source oi. tuel oil hurnor, one ot said ducts at nicatin l. a pipe line trecs Oil roiusecutive convolntions lo- 7 "ericrly oi the boiler within the area ct :onse heat Won. "whereby the compressed :uon hin site mi wil ad :"iou air is its Way to its point Off the confines cl the burner for ms of the pressure air from t across the face (it the oil "ch forced tl'l.1'O'L'lf"l]. the burner oi the air in the other duct,

parsed theretroin before the fuel e ected :l'rom the burner.

{gaseous an outer barrel, an oil herein and surrounding said tube a gas chamber, a supply pipe co1niuuni. inn; with said chamber d ada DiJGCl to derver hot thereto under pressure, or nozzle at the tori yard end of said r ward of the tront end of? the oil tube and iuoyioed With an orifice of smaller diamete than that of the oil pipe, the in tcrior taco of said cap dii' erging :troin said point of contact rearWardly toward the inner Wall of the harrel and shutting; in said .i y .n again t the forward end aid oil tube i'QttlWt filly of the smaller cc it the earn and a series oi closely adjacent aiuruia disposer. grooves extendire; in the direct n oi? the length oi the oil p1 l, and produc d upon the outer surface or the oil pipe at its forward end the exit end oi" s id "reeves nrovidincy const nt coin inuuict 3 seen the t is h amber and the orifice p.

Wt fuel oil burner adapted for the ctomiza n oil oil by a, heated gaseous nt crunpr'sing an outer bar in forward end closed and prot jet or ice the inner surface i. cud diverging rearwardly entice an oil tuhe extending he rrol removed therefrom hc'tore sure air and consisting use, i

into said outer barrel and forming therewith an interior gas chamber, said oil tube having its exit end in the form of a cylinder the peripheral terminal edge of which abuts against the diverging inner surface of said closed end and being of larger diameter than said jet orifice, a gas supply pipe com municating with said chamber adapted to deliver hot gas thereto under pressure, and

a series of closely adjacent angularly disposed grooves extending in the direction of the length of the oil pipe and produced upon the outer surface of the oil pipe at its forward end, the exit end of said grooves penetrating the said oil pipe to provide constant communication between the gas in the gas chamber and the orifice of the cap.

13. A fuel oil burner adapted for the atomization of oil by a heated gaseous atomizing agent comprising an outer barrel, an oil tube therein, and surrounding said tube, a gas chamber, a gas supply pipe communicating with said chamber and adapted-to deliver hot gas thereto under pressure, a capor nozzle at the forward end of said barrel provided with an orifice of smaller diameter than that of the oil pipe, the interior of said cap abutting against the forward end of said oil pipe and diverging from said point of contact rearwardly pump and an oil pump, both continuously driven by said motor. a nozzle, an air conduit for conducting the compressed air through a heat zone to the nozzle, an oil supply and a supplemental oil tank and a connection between the two, including the oil pump, a branch air conduit conducting heated air to the tank, means within the tank for determining a predetermined oil level therein, said means being effective to determine the entering volumes of oil and to limit the air space in said tank, both without causing interruption of operation of either pump and a connection from the tank to the nozzle for supplying oil thereto by the air pressure in said tank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM P. DUNHAM. 

